


Waiting at the Edge of the World

by rubylily



Category: Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magika | Puella Magi Madoka Magica
Genre: Alternate Timelines, Chance Meetings, Gen, Implied Femslash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-11
Updated: 2016-07-11
Packaged: 2018-07-19 18:04:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,383
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7372060
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rubylily/pseuds/rubylily
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After Walpurgisnacht, Mami encounters a certain blue-haired girl.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Waiting at the Edge of the World

**Author's Note:**

  * For [VampirePaladin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/VampirePaladin/gifts).



"Your prediction was correct, Akemi-san. Walpurgisnacht has arrived."

"We must be careful. This is like no witch we have ever fought before."

"I've heard the stories, but I'd rather not imagine what'll happen if we lose."

Homura hesitated for what felt like an eternity, and then finally said, "When we defeat the witch, I'll tell you my wish."

Mami smiled, despite herself. "You can tell me over tea and cake."

* * *

When Mami opened her eyes, she found herself in an unfamiliar building, though to still call it a "building" was too generous, as it seemed to have been a casualty of Walpurgisnacht's attack. The ceiling had completely caved in, and all she could see overhead were ominous yellow clouds. She glanced around the room; it was mostly a sparse living room, with only a couch and a coffee table that she could see.

Her body aching, she forced herself to sit up. Had she and Homura managed to defeat Walpurgisnacht? She had been in so much pain, her Soul Gem at its limit, but before she lost consciousness she remembered a bright flash of pink, almost like the birth of a new magical girl.

Looking herself over, she dusted off her school uniform. When had she lost her transformation? She held out her hand and summoned her Soul Gem, and it glowed warmly, as if it had just been purified by a Grief Seed.

"Akemi-san?" Mami called out as she clutched her Soul Gem tightly to her chest. "Kyubey?"

No answer came. Maybe she had been separated from Homura during the battle, but at least Kyubey usually appeared when she called. She had not seen him once since Walpurgisnacht had appeared. She frowned; what was going on?

Hearing a door open behind her, she quickly got to her feet and intended to transform, but the "intruder" was simply a blue-haired girl in a Mitakihara Middle School uniform. Mami stared; there was something almost familiar about her, as if they had met once before…

The girl only laughed as she set down the bag she was carrying onto the table; it was filled with canned drinks and packaged bread. "Oh, you're already awake," she said. "Sorry, I thought I'd be back sooner."

Mami eyed the other girl carefully. "What do you mean?"

The girl let out an awkward laugh. "I found you unconscious, so I brought you here and went to go find some food…"

"Thank you." Mami tried to smile. "Did you find anyone else?"

"Just you." The girl sat upon the floor and handed a drink to Mami. "Here, I'm sure you're thirsty."

Mami accepted it without hesitation as she sat across the table from the other girl and quickly unopened it to take a large sip, almost forgetting her manners. She hadn't realized she had been so thirsty. She also accepted a piece of bread from the younger girl, and for a while they ate in silence.

It was almost like a tea party, Mami thought, and even this plain food seemed impossibly delicious. She and Homura had planned to have a tea party after defeating Walpurgisnacht, and she had been more excited for that than Homura probably could've imagined. Her hand trembling, she set down her bread and stared at the girl across from her. If Homura was missing, then it was a miracle this normal girl had managed to find her amid all the wreckage.

Clearing her throat, Mami said, "I am grateful for your help, but why exactly are you out here? Don't you realize how dangerous it is?"

The girl swallowed what she was chewing before answering. "I was trying to look for a friend of mine."

"Alone?"

"The rescue crews might not get here soon enough. She… she ran off so suddenly, and I'm really worried… But then I found you, and I couldn't leave you alone either."

Mami crossed her arms over her chest. "What is your friend's name?"

"Kaname Madoka. We're in the same class."

"And you truly think she would've gone out in this storm?"

"I don't know." The other girl rubbed the back of her neck. "In the shelter, I saw her talking to that transfer student, Akemi Homura, and then later her mom was frantically looking for her and asking me if I had seen her."

"Akemi-san?"

"Do you know her?"

Mami was silent a moment; would it truly be a good idea to tell this girl everything? But what if she had already seen Mami's magical girl form? And she had risked her life to save Mami, after all. She smiled; but of course, some of those she had rescued from witches had already seen her magical girl form. Thus she held out her Soul Gem and transformed, being sure to note the dazzled expression on the other girl's face.

"Beautiful…" the girl breathed.

"My name is Tomoe Mami. It's a pleasure to meet you." Mami winked. "I'm a magical girl, and so is Akemi-san. We were fighting a witch called Walpurgisnacht, and it seems we were separated."

"So this Walpurgisnacht…" The girl seemed to struggle with the pronunciation. "Is it responsible for this storm?"

"Yes." Mami bowed her head. "I apologize for my earlier bluntness. I really am grateful for your help."

"Heh, I guess I should be thanking you and Akemi Homura for protecting this town, huh?" The girl beamed. "My name's Miki Sayaka. Never thought I'd meet a real life magical girl!"

"The pleasure is all mine, and I thank you for this meal." Mami stood up and held out her hand for Sayaka. "Now, we should get you back to your family. They must be worried sick."

"But Madoka-!" Sayaka clenched her fists, and she hesitated. "Your friend is missing too, right? Let's look together!"

Mami bit her lip. Was Homura a friend? She had kept to herself, and not even Kyubey had been able to tell Mami much about her. In fact, Homura had almost seemed disdainful of Kyubey to a frightening degree. However, Homura had approached her first about fighting Walpurgisnacht, and Mami hadn't been able to ignore the conviction of her words, and while they had been training, every so often she had noticed Homura staring intently at her. It had been rather flattering, in a way.

But then Kyubey had vanished shortly afterwards, as if searching for something…

Finally, Mami spoke again. "Miki-san, this isn't a game. This is dangerous. Akemi-san is an accomplished magical girl, so I can trust her to take care of herself, but I cannot guarantee your safety if you go out in this wreckage."

"But Madoka might've gone out after Homura! Maybe we'll find them together!"

"Hm." Mami tapped her chin thoughtfully. Maybe this Kaname Madoka was a magical girl too? But Kyubey hadn't mentioned any others in this area, save for Sakura Kyoko in Kazamino, but Mami hadn't seen her in quite some time… Shaking her head as she let out another sigh, she said, "All right, I'll help you. But if we don't find her by evening, I'll escort you back to the shelter and continue to search alone."

"Thank you!" Sayaka exclaimed.

Mami couldn't help but smile too. "Well then, let's head outside now."

Sayaka's expression darkened as she glanced at the door, and then she nodded. "I'll warn you, it's really terrible…" she muttered as she stood up. "It's like the end of the world out there…"

"I know," Mami said, and she headed for the door and stepped outside with Sayaka following closely, almost clinging to her, and even with Sayaka's words she was not prepared for what she saw next.

She wanted to vomit, and the sudden wave of nausea almost forced her to her knees. The city was ruined and covered in putrid water, but her attention was locked on the swirling black mass in the distance. It was as large as a mountain, and the tip almost looked like two arms reaching for the sky, trying vainly to grasp something she couldn't see. Dark lightning erupted all around it, as if screaming, and its evil aura was overwhelming.

Mami covered her mouth with a shaking hand. How could such a witch even exist? Not even Walpurgisnacht could compare… Could this witch even destroy the whole world?

Had this witch already killed Homura and Sayaka's friend?

Sayaka fell her knees, her entire body trembling. "It's gotten so much bigger…" she forced out, her voice a mere whisper. "Is… is that Walpurgisnacht?"

Mami's fingers balled into fists, and that urge to vomit grew even stronger. "No, this witch is much larger," she said, willing her voice to stay calm. "I've never seen one so powerful…"

"And… and you and Homura really fight those monsters…?"

Mami inhaled a deep breath. "It's our destiny. Our wish is granted, and the price of that wish is to defeat witches." Yet even as she spoke those words, they rang hollow in her ears.

"I can't believe it…" was all Sayaka said, her eyes locked on the massive witch before them. "That's so horrible…"

"Miki-san." Mami grabbed Sayaka's hand and helped her to her feet. "It's much too dangerous for you here."

"Hey, wait-!" Sayaka tried to say, but Mami ignored those protests as she lifted Sayaka into her arms, and she summoned a number of ribbons to allow herself to move quickly.

Sayaka's arms were tight around her neck as she swung from building to building, over the ruins of Mitakihara. Her own ribbons were the only source of bright color among these ruins, and she had to tear her eyes away from the destruction. Walpurgisnacht had already destroyed so much, and she didn't want to imagine that this new witch could do.

Where had it come from? How could she have missed something so powerful?

Her arms tightened around Sayaka, who still trembled. Could she defeat that witch alone? Would she have time to find Kyoko and ask for help before this witch destroyed the rest of Mitakihara?

(But if Kyoko was still alive, most likely she had already felt the witch's presence too. No magical girl could miss such a massive, evil aura.)

Finally Mami stopped on top of one of the evacuation shelters on the outskirts of Mitakihara and released Sayaka. She glanced over her shoulder, and her heart sank. That witch was still close, too close.

"Hey, that witch isn't getting bigger, is it…?" Sayaka asked in a shaking voice.

"I don't know." Mami pulled back her ribbons, hoping to sense some kind of life left in the ruins, but still she could not sense Homura or Sayaka's friend.

"But if it can't be stopped, everyone here is going to die, right?"

"Witches curse the world with despair," Mami found herself saying. "I can't even imagine how much despair this witch will bring."

"I don't understand…" Sayaka clenched her teeth as tears fell from her eyes. "Where do these witches even come from? How can something so evil exist?"

"I think that witch may be very sad." Mami held out her hand to summon a rifle. "But if witches bring curses to the world, then we magical girls create hope and miracles."

Sayaka's eyes went wide. "Are… are you really going to fight that?"

"Yes. I'm the only one who can." Mami forced a smile. "Miki-san, you should be with your family. When I defeat this witch, we'll look for our friends together."

Sayaka was deathly still for a moment, and then she threw her arms around Mami. "It's like déjà vu… I can almost remember…" She buried her face in Mami's shoulder. "Promise me you'll come back!"

Mami laid her free hand on Sayaka's hair. She was right; Mami could almost remember meeting her once before. Or maybe even many times before. "Miki-san," she said sternly. "I made a wish to live. I will not throw my life away so easily."

"Because you're very strong." Sayaka pulled herself away and smiled. "Thank you, for protecting all of us."

Mami's fingers tightened around her rifle. "I'll be back soon."

Sayaka nodded. "And I'll be waiting."

Mami was still a little longer, and soon she turned her back to Sayaka to rush toward the witch once more. Maybe she was rushing toward her death alone. Maybe this witch would trap the whole world in its labyrinth. But she was a magical girl, and she had wished to live. She would create more ribbons, as many as she could to restrain this dark aura, and to return vivid colors to this city.

Her Soul Gem at its strongest, she called forth all of her magic.

"Tiro Finale!"

* * *

_several hours earlier;_

Homura gently touched Mami's face, feeling that warmth that had become all too familiar. Mami had lost consciousness during that final blast, and Homura herself had barely managed to survive.

Walpurgisnacht was defeated, but now another, more terrible witch reigned. Madoka had made a wish at the very last moment, saving both Homura and Mami.

But as always, she transformed into a witch.

Homura clenched her teeth. She had been so close; she had managed to keep Kyubey away from both Madoka and Sayaka without incurring Mami's distrust, and she had even bonded with Mami without her ever finding out the truth about witches.

"I'm sorry," Homura said as she touched a Grief Seed to Mami's cloudy Soul Gem; she could at least spare Mami the agony of transforming into a witch. "I was so close this time…"

Mami stirred, as if she was only asleep, and Homura decided against waking her. She could dream a little longer.

She bent over Mami, brushing her lips against strands of soft, golden hair, unsure of what else to do, and her chest ached. This timeline had almost been perfect, and she had let down her guard. With a heavy sigh she got to her feet and the gears of her shield began to turn. She had no time left in this world; she had no choice but to leave Mami alone in her final moments.

Mami had once said that she wished she had met Homura into a world without witches. Homura had called it a pleasant dream.

"Farewell, Tomoe Mami… I'll do everything over, and I'll save her, and we can be friends again…"


End file.
